Facts & Fiction About Hydration

October 4, 2024

I have a 15 year old daughter. Which is code for I live with someone who knows everything.

You can pretty much say anything and you are guaranteed to be wrong.

So it was little to no surprise that the other day, she informed me that you cannot sufficiently hydrate yourself by drinking water alone. She said you need to have electrolytes in order to properly hydrate.

This of course, piqued my interest. Because truly, I have never given it much thought. I have heard all the myths that you need to drink pure water, not water mixed with other substances like coffee or beer, in order to stay hydrated. And of course, I grew up with the 8 glasses of water a day theory shoved down my throat. But I have not really done any research on the subject. Until now.

So let’s start off with the 8 glasses of water rule of thumb. This one is interesting to me because I truly do not drink a lot of pure water. Maybe 2-3 glasses throughout the day, whenever I think of it. And generally, because I have a small bladder, I tend to drink a sip here and there throughout the day. And with a meal? Never. I don’t know why. It drives my husband insane, who likes to drink 1-2 tall glasses at dinner. He looks at me, astounded, that I don’t need anything to “wash it down.”

But where did this notion of 8 glasses come from? As far as I can see, the roots of “water therapy” go back a long ways – to Austria in the early 1800’s. But specifically, in 1945, the US Food and Nutrition Board issued guidelines that everyone should strive for 2.5 liters of water per day. Which equates to a little over 8 cups of water. But one interesting thing in that guideline article has been lost throughout the years – where they said that the majority of that water can come through the foods that are eaten throughout the day.

And over the years, as new, beautiful, heavy and expensive water-toting devices become all the rage, guzzling huge amounts of water has become the norm in this country. I read an article about Europe the other day and it said “How can you tell an American? Because they are carrying a water bottle.” My lovely, aforementioned 15 year old literally carries a 64 ounce water bottle to school every single day and aims to drink two per day…. which I find insane. This all doesn’t seem normal to me.

Here are the interesting things I have discovered in this journey for the truth about water consumption.

According to physiology.org, it is better to drink small amounts of water throughout the day in lieu of chugging it in one fell swoop. The act of chugging initiates an oropharyngeal response, telling your body that a large quantity of water is coming into your body and then triggers the excretion of an even larger amount to make room. With smaller amounts introduced over time, this response is not triggered so your body retains the hydration for a longer period of time.

Hydration through caffeinated drinks? Yes, ma’am. Contrary to popular belief, caffeine is not a diuretic and likely the increased urination is simply due to the amount of fluid being consumed.

Now, onto the electrolyte theory that my 15 year old threw at me. Water is a great source of natural hydration. HOWEVER, if you are an athlete, it would be encouraged to including sodium into the water, to account for the loss of it during a hard, hot workout. The sodium (or electrolytes) supports cardiovascular performance and health.

Is 64 oz required for everyone every day?

The simple answer is no. This one size fits all approach doesn’t take into account that every person, their metabolism, fitness, eating habits, medical history, sleep routines, are different. And therefore, instead of chugging water whenever it occurs to you, the best bet would be to have a couple sips here and there throughout the day when you listen to your body and it is telling you that it is thirsty. And maybe, if you are going out for a walk, throw in an electrolyte packet, just to make my 15 year old feel like she is right. 🙂